WORCESTER, Mass -- Bucs volleyball traveled to Worcester State coming off of their conference win over Salem State in five sets at home on Tuesday. After dropping the first two set, Maritime battled back to win the third and fourth sets and send the conference match to a fifth and deciding set. The final set went down to the wire with the Lancers hanging on for the 15-13 win in the game and the 3-2 conference match victory.

The Basics

Final: Lancers 3, Buccaneers 2 (25-21, 25-13, 16-25, 25-27, 15-13)

Records: Worcester (7-15, 3-1)

               Maritime (4-16, 2-3)

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Alanys Torres led the Bucs again offensively with a match-high 14 kills. Maliah Servino and Shayla Narodowg each had seven in the loss.
• Narodowg tallied 30 assists across the five sets for the Bucs.
• Marlo Stark racked up a match-high six aces and was the defensive leader with 17 digs.
• On the defensive end, Audrey Manning and Narodowg each had 12 digs.
• At the net, Gemma Geisler and Servino combined for the Bucs only block of the match.

Worcester

• Katie Cueva and Kate Stedronsky both had a team-high 11 kills. Angela Colonis added 10 of her own.
• Megan Bardis led the Lancers with 22 assists and Colonis added 20 helpers.
• Four player had two aces for Worcester in the win. 
• Defensively, Cassie Millea had a team-high 19 digs.
• At the net, Stedronsky had three block assists to lead the match and the Lancers had eighth total block assists.

How It Happened

Maritime led for most of the first set and took a commanding lead midway through with a 16-10 advantage. They extended the lead to five points at 20-15 and that was when the Lancers found another gear. Worcester went on to score 10 of the next 11 points to come back and take the first game, 25-21.

In set two, the Bucs struggled offensively and the Lancers ran out to a huge 17-4 lead. The Bucs scored nine more points in the game but not enough to get all of the 13 points deficit back and the Lancers took the second set 25-13.

The tides turned for the Buccaneers over the next two sets. In set three, Maritime took a big lead of their own, going up 14-8. They held that lead and the Lancers never got back within four points. Though Worcester battled for some points late, Maritime scored the final three points of the set to win 26-16 and bring the match back to 2-1. 

In set four, the teams battled hard. With the Lancers staring down a win and the Bucs against the ropes, Maritime took a four-point lead late, 20-16. They watched the lead dwindle and down 24-22, Worcester tied the match at 24-24. The teams traded points and serves and finally, up 26-25, Maritime scored the final point of the set to win 27-25 and tie the match at 2-2.

In the 15-point fifth set, The Bucs took an early lead then trailed, and then the teams were tied at 6-6. Worcester went up 8-7 and did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way. Worcester nearly let the Bucs back in the match at 12-11 but a miscue from the Bucs and a kill from the Lancers put Worcester up 14-12. The Bucs got the score back to 14-13 and then Stedronsky drove home the final point to give the Lancers the 15-13 set win and the 3-2 match win.

What's Next

Maritime is back home on Saturday to take on Suffolk University at 4pm in non-conference play.